The Mycelium Shoe, Challenging The Usual Conventions Of Footwear

Introducing a new era of technologically advanced footwear.

With disruption at the core of their existence, the revolutionary 3D design studio Ica & Kostika have launched the Mycelium Shoe. Pioneering the exploration of computational design and mass customisation, Ica & Kostika used the latest 3D printing and data capturing technologies to transform complex computational systems into luxe fashion footwear.

Photo Credit: Kendra Barber

Step Into the Future With The Mycelium Shoe

How is this possible? The wearer downloads the app and takes a series of photos of their feet; then the algorithm creates a 3D representation with allowances for improved fit.  Each shoe is 3D printed and finished with automotive grade technologies to form the final structure. Thus, the result is a structured yet highly intricate shoe that shapes an elegant silhouette, creating both visually aesthetic and design functionality.

Photo Credit: Kendra Barber

Ica Paru, Co-Founder and Lead Designer, told FashNerd.com, “In creating the Mycelium shoe we explore a computational design approach to emulating biologically grown structures. The design process consists of manipulating the growth direction of the rigid branching filaments that make up the mycelium architecture.”

“We explore a computational design approach to emulating biologically grown structures”

She continues, “The form of the network, its direction and variation, are informed by the physical location of the ground and foot: in areas where the shoe contacts the ground, the network is occupied with compact cells for greater wear resistance; in areas where the interior covers the skeletal muscles of the foot, the network is filled with softer, more flexible cells, providing for muscular flexibility to enhance and augment movement within the inner shoe cavity. This is achieved through the combination of a lightweight metal shell exterior, laser-sintered Nylon 12 electroplated with Copper, Nickel, and Chromium, and an intricate cellular skin made of a flexible high impact absorbing material, TPU.”

Photo Credit: Kendra Barber

With only five limited edition Mycelium Shoes available for pre-order later this year, for Paru, the design process was all about how art can embody our evolutionary story from past to future, adding, “Fusing the latest in 3D printing and data capturing technologies, we created not just a shoe, but a story of continuity and innovation, and this is our first step.”

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As part of an ongoing collection entitled Exobiology, the shoe will be discontinued indefinitely once sold, solidifying it as a genuinely unique statement in functional art. No price has been confirmed as of yet.

Founding Editor in Chief at FashNerd.com | editor@fashnerd.com | Website

Founding editor-in-chief of FashNerd.com, Muchaneta is currently one of the leading influencers writing about the merger of fashion with technology and wearable technology. She has also given talks at Premiere Vision, Munich Fabric Start and Pure London, to name a few. Besides working as a fashion innovation consultant for various fashion companies like LVMH Atelier, Muchaneta has also contributed to Vogue Business, is a senior contributor at The Interline and an associate lecturer at London College of Fashion, UAL.